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Celia Observing - Signed Print by David Hockney 1976 - MyArtBroker

Celia Observing
Signed Print

David Hockney

£4,850-£7,500Value Indicator

$9,500-$15,000 Value Indicator

$8,500-$13,500 Value Indicator

¥45,000-¥70,000 Value Indicator

6,000-9,000 Value Indicator

$50,000-$70,000 Value Indicator

¥920,000-¥1,420,000 Value Indicator

$6,000-$9,500 Value Indicator

-8% AAGR

AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.

There aren't enough data points on this work for a comprehensive result. Please speak to a specialist by making an enquiry.

Medium: Intaglio

Edition size: 60

Year: 1976

Size: H 68cm x W 54cm

Signed: Yes

Format: Signed Print

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Track auction value trend

The value of David Hockney’s Celia Observing (signed) from 1976 is estimated to be worth between £4,850 and £7,500. Over the past 12 months, the average selling price was £3,565, across a total of 1 sale. In the last five years, the hammer price has varied from £3,565 in December 2024 to £15,120 in August 2022. This artwork has shown a consistent annual average growth rate of -8%. Celia Observing has an auction history of 16 total sales since its entry to the market in May 1997. This work is a limited edition of 60.

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Auction Results

Auction DateAuction HouseLocation
Hammer Price
Return to Seller
Buyer Paid
December 2024Burchard Galleries United States
November 2023Sotheby's Online United Kingdom
August 2022Sotheby's Online United Kingdom
March 2020Christie's London United Kingdom
October 2018Christie's New York United States
October 2018Phillips New York United States
October 2014Sotheby's New York United States

Meaning & Analysis

This portrait sees the fashion designer and close friend of Hockney sitting on an armchair, her pose casual and relaxed, belying the intimacy between artist and sitter. Her dress, which tells us about her sense of style, even without our knowledge of her profession, is depicted in soft crayon-like marks in red and black which Hockney has expertly conveyed with intaglio. Her face is partially hidden by her curly fringe which hangs over one eye and yet we can discern that she is staring off into the middle distance and failing to meet the artist’s gaze. She appears lost in thought, perhaps reflecting on what she has just read in the book tossed casually beside the armchair, however the title of the work tells us that she is ‘observing’, perhaps looking closely at something out of our sight.

By turns enigmatic, delightful, cheerful and melancholy, Birtwell is a versatile model and it’s easy to see why Hockney returns to her again and again. Speaking of his love for the designer as both friend and subject Hockney said, “Celia has a beautiful face, a very rare face with lots of things in it which appeal to me. It shows aspects of her, like her intuitive knowledge and her kindness, which I think is the greatest virtue. To me she’s such a special person.”

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